News release
Marcel Marceau was undoubtedly the world’s most famous mime. He mesmerized people around the globe without saying a word. On Sunday, Congregation Beth Shalom’s CBS Film Series presents the story of the tragic background behind his art in the film, “The Art of Silence.”
“I grew up with a deaf father… My life sometimes resembled a silent movie,” says director Maurizius Staerkle Drux.
During World War II, Marceau joined the French Resistance and smuggled children across the border to safety, into Switzerland. With gestures and mimes, he taught the children to communicate in silence. Silence was their tool for survival.
After the war, Marceau transformed mime into a unique art form and achieved world fame with it. It is a testament to Marceau’s career that some of his students range from entertaining kids in hospitals to using the pantomime art form to help those with motor system disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, said a statement released by the CBS Film Series.
The screening is scheduled 2 p.m. Sunday at Congregation Beth Shalom, 21430 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita. Admission is $5 per person, which includes popcorn and concessions. Raffle tickets will be sold for $1 for a chance to win a $25 gift card. RSVP to [email protected] or 661-254-2411.